This is reportedly the third time when Pakistan's Twitter account has been restricted to be viewed in India.
According to its guidelines, Twitter takes such action in response to a valid legal demand Photo Credit:Reuters
The official Twitter account of the
Pakistan government has been withheld in India for the third time, following a
legal demand. When attempting to access the account, users are met with a
message stating that the account has been withheld in India in response to a
legal demand. This is not the first time such action has been taken; in October
2022, the account was also withheld in India, and in July, it was temporarily
withheld but then reactivated.
According to Twitter guidelines, the platform takes such action in
response to a valid legal demand, such as a court order. As of now, Indian
users cannot access the Twitter feed of the Pakistan government
(@GovtofPakistan).
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This latest incident follows a series of actions taken by the Indian
government against accounts and channels associated with Pakistan. In June
2022, Twitter in India banned official accounts of Pakistan Embassies in the
United Nations, Turkey, Iran, and Egypt. In August of the same year, India
blocked eight YouTube-based news channels, including one operating from
Pakistan, and one Facebook account for posting "fake, anti-India
content" online.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has stated that the action
was taken by imposing emergency powers under Information Technology Rules,
2021. The blocked Indian YouTube channels were found to be using fake and
sensational thumbnails, images of news anchors, and logos of certain TV news
channels to mislead viewers into believing that the news was authentic.
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Overall, this recent withholding of Pakistan's official Twitter account
in India is part of a larger trend of tensions between the two nations. It is
not yet clear whether or when the account will be made visible to Indian users
again, but Twitter will likely only do so in response to a valid legal demand.